Small cylinder conveyor or elevator



Dec. 3, 1957 o. F. BUSCH SMALL CYLINDER CONVEYOR OR ELEVATOR 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Sept. 9. 1954 INVENTOR OTTO F. BUSCH ATTORNEY Dec. 3, 1957 o. F. BUSCH SMALL CYLINDER CONVEYOR OR ELEVATOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 9, 1954 o o A@ o o s -87MWB-8-Q o o o O O O l R m l mH C B VN. .3. F.. 6 lO` ,T d IlMN m ATTORNEY Dec. 3, 1957 o. F. BUSCH 2,815,115

' SMALL CYLINDER CONVEYOR OR ELEVATOR Filed Sept. 9. 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR OTTO F. BUSCH ATTORNEY United States Patent O M SMALL CYLINDER CGNVEYOR R ELEVATOR Otto Franz Busch, Croydon, Pa. Application September 9, 1954, Serial No. 455,057

2 Claims. (Cl. 198--156) For many years banks have Very generally assorted coins and wrapped them in rolls having a predetermined number of coins in each roll. The wrapping of the coins is done by a machine especially designed to accomplish that result. Normally the coins that are thus wrapped are discharged into a receptacle or the like at the bottom, generally on the table which supports the machine, and that table top is usually close to the oor level. From that point of discharge the rolled coins must be picked up and elevated to a higher table top where they are manually placed into suitable trays which are constructed in graduated sizes to accommodate a predetermined number of rolls of coins. From that position the predetermined number of coin rolls are further conveyed by suitable means, usually manual, to another location where they may be stored or otherwise disposed of. Very generally in the past, and in common practice, an operator has to bend over to pick up the wrapped coins and place them on the table having a higher level. To do this for a full day is very fatiguing.

A main object of my invention is to provide an elevator mechanism to automatically pick up wrapped coins from a position on or near a lower table level and convey them to a suitable height where they may be readily handled and transferred to suitable containers for further removal.

Another object is to provide a mechanism whereby wrapped coins may be automatically elevated from a point of discharge from a wrapping machine to a convenient point for further transfer to storage facilities.

A further object is to provide an elevator having lifting lingers which will not fail to vertically raise rolled coins from a low point of discharge from a wrapping machine to a Work table for further distribution.

. A still further object is to provide an elevator having fingers that will engage and lift wrapped coins, and will reject coins that are not contained within a roll.

`An even further object is to provide an elevator mechanism that will raise wrapped coins and deliver them to a higher level Where the wrapped coins will definitely be discharged, the elevator fingers ejecting any coins that may have become unwrapped.

Other objects will become apparent in the description of the invention herebelow.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation, partly broken away;

Figure 2 is a vertical cross section taken on the line 2 2 of Figure 1, and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 is a vertical cross section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure l, and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail of the elevator chain, showing cross bars and elevator fingers (partly in section); and

Figure 5 is an enlarged view in perspective showing a lifting finger.

2,8 l 5,1 l5 Patented Dec.` 3, 1957 ICC The entire machine is supported by, and built around, four metal tubes 10 and 12, which may be either solid or hollow. There are two tubes 10 at the front of the machine, and two tubes 12 at the back thereof. These tubes are the same length and are adapted to form a substantial support so that the machine may be placed on a suitable base, such as a floor. The machine is preferably attached alongside a coin wrapping machine (not shown) at the right, as viewed in Figure 1. Near the top of the tubes I attach suitable horizontal beams 14 which space the tubes 10 and 12 apart. In the approximate center of the beams 14 I secure commercial ballrace bearings 16 within which a suitable axle 18 is secured. That axle and the beams maintain the tubes lll- 10 and 12-12 apart at their upper extremities.

Near the bottom ends of the tubes 10--10 and 12--12 I provide cross beams 20 which are provided with holes 22 through which the tubes 10 and 12 may pass, with suitable commercial tolerance. With this construction the cross beams may be raised and lowered as desired and yet maintain the tubes in their proper spaced-apart positions. At the approximate centers of the beams 20 I secure ball-races 24 through which an axle.` 26 passes and is secured.

Spaced above the cross beams 20, and slidable on the tubes 10-10 and 12-12, I provide a beam. 28 which maintains suitable set screws 30 aligned so that they will engage the tubes 10 and 12 when desired. The cross beam 28 extends outwardly from the machine to provide a suitable support for an electric motor 32 having its drive shaft 34 in a vertical position. The drive shaft 34 has aixed to its end a screw-threaded gear 36 which is adapted to mesh with the gear wheel 38 which is sweated, or otherwise suitably secured to the shaft 26.

At the approximate center of the cross beam 28 I provide a suitable stud 40 which extends downwardly therefrom and bears against the cross beam 20 at its approximate center, spacing the two cross bea-ms apart. With this construction the cross beam 28 and its associated cross beam 20 may be lowered any desired amount and held there by tightened the set screws 3@ to properly maintain a desired amount of tension on the sprocket chains.

Mounted on the shaft 26, and properly keyed thereto, I provide a pair of sprocket wheels 42. Aligned with the sprocket wheels 42 I also provide a pair of idler sprocket wheels 44 which are mounted to turn freely on the shaft 18. Engaging the sprocket wheels 42, and encircling the idler sprocket wheels 44, I provide conventional sprocket chains 46.

Spaced several links apart on the sprocket chains 46 I provide outstanding fingers 48 which stand out from the chain, as more clearly disclosed in Figure 2. Each finger 48 that takes the place of a regular link is attached to the next adjacent links, and is also spacedapart laterally from the chin of links on the other side of the machine by filler collars 5t) which are mounted on rods 52 passing therethrough, and also through the fingers 48.

The fingers 48 are of particular configuration, as more clearly shown in Figure 2. The purpose of the particular design or configuration of the lingers is to assure the fact that they will not at any time catch coins that may, through a possible error, be outside of the conventional roll of coins. In the event that a loose coin :is perhaps inadvertantly picked up by a iinger, or the fingers, it will be pushed to one side and will not be held thereby to block the further operation of the machine.

Around the outside of the entire machine, as it has been described above, I provide an outside casing or sheathing 54 which entirely encircles the endless chains that are driven by the sprocket wheels 42. The sheathing is provided with slots 55 through which the fingers 48 may pass as they are advanced by the movement of the sprocket chains 46. The sheathing assures that the coin rolls will not get into the machinery that is provided to drive the same. Also the outside edges of the machine, or more particularly the endless chain, are provided with a side shield 56 which is positioned so that the coin rolls cannot possibly fall out from the elevator lingers 48 at the sides of the machine.

At the bottom, or lower part, of the machine l suitably attach a chute 58 which is adapted to introduce coin rolls 60 into the coin roll receiving trough 62 located at the bottom of the endless chains 45, or near the sprocket drive wheels 42. The chute 62 is suitably secured to the machine by being bolted or otherwise fastened to` a support 63 outstanding from the machine base. Thus, as coin rolls 65B are discharged from a conventional coin wrapping machine they will be dropped into the chute 58 and will slide down into the coin roll receiving trough 62. In the trough 62 they will slide or roll into the path of the lingers 48 which will be rising (on the front or right of the machine as viewed in Figures 1 and 2) and will be caught thereby and raised to the topmost part of the machine where they will roll down the slanting upper cover 64. The slant of the cover 64 is normally suiiicient to assure that the rolled coins will slide or roll down the cover by gravity, but in the event that they should not, perhaps because of sticking to the cover, they will be urged off of the cover by the lingers 48 which will be revolving regularly by the action of the motor 32.

The ngers 4S are particularly designed so that they will not engage any coins that might possibly have broken out of a roll into which they had been Wrapped. If a coin, or any foreign object, should be on the cover 64 it will be urged olf by the continuing motion of the tingers 48, their design being such that they could not possibly hook over such an object.

It will be understood that while the machine is in operation the motor will be energized in the conventional manner by the use of electricity. When the motor is thus running the gear 38 will revolve, the shaft 26 will be revolved and cause the sprocket wheels 42 to revolve. The sprocket wheels 42 will in turn revolve (in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Figure 2) and thus raise the fingers 48. Coin rolls 60 are repeatedly being discharged from a conventional coin wrapping machine and are being slid down the chute 58 into the receiving trough 62, from which they will be picked up by the continually revolving, or rising ngers 48. After the coin rolls have been raised to the cover 64 they will slide or roll downwardly and drop onto a suitable table from which they may be picked up manually and placed into any suitable container to be moved to a storage, or other, desired space.

While my machine is designed particularly for use in the matter of transferring rolled coins from one level to lil i another, it will be understood that there are many other uses for the efficient elevator. For example: It may well be used for raising rolls of buttons, Tootsie Rolls, Life Savers, packages of gum, etc., the elevation of bricks, the elevation of books and other objects that must be raised from one level to another.

It will be understood that minor changes may be made from time to time in the general construction of my coin elevating machine without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

l claim:

l. An elevator of the class described including spaced apart stanchions, horizontal beams affixed near thev upper ends of said stanchions, horizontal beams slidably mounted near the lower ends of said stanchions, ball-races mounted in the approximate center of each horizontal beam, axles suspended by the ball-races, sprocket wheels mounted on said axles, an adjustable beam mounted on said stanchions between the fixed and slidable beams, means extending between the adjustable beam and the slidable beam to maintain the latter in fixed relation with the former, a motor supported by the adjustable beam, a gear train between the motor shaft and axle supported by the slidable beam, sprocket chains encircling said sprocket wheels, cross rods extending between said chains, and a plurality of upwardly curved lingers held by said cross rods and spaced apart by collars mounted on said cross rods between adjacent curved fingers.

2. An elevator of the class described including spaced apart stanchions, horizontal beams affixed near the upper ends of said stanchions, horizontal beams slidably mounted near the lower ends of said stanchions, ballraces mounted in the approximatev center of each horizontal beam, axles suspended by the ball-races, sprocket wheels mounted on said axles, an adjustable beam mounted on said stanchions between the lixed and slidable beams, means extending between the adjustable beam and the slidable beam to maintain the latter in fixed relation with the former, a motor supported bythe adjustable beam, a gear train between the motor shaft and axle supported by the slidable beam, sprocket chains encircling said sprocket wheels, cross rods extending between said chains, and a plurality of spaced apart upwardly curved iingers extending outwardly beyond the periphery of said chains, the curve of the lingers being of a large radius, and the iingers being maintained in their spaced apart positions by collars mounted on said cross rods.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 131,983 Walsh Oct. 8, 1872 303,384 Bishop Aug. 12, 1884 FOREIGN PATENTS 445,833 Great Britain Apr. 6, 193.6 

